Looking for Magical Doremi
Theatrical release poster
‹ ThetemplateInfobox Chinese/Japanese is beingconsidered for deletion. ›
Kanji	魔女見習いをさがして
Revised Hepburn	Majo Minarai o Sagashite
Directed by	Haruka Kamatani [jp] Junichi Sato
Written by	Midori Kiriyama [jp][a]
Produced by	Hiromi Seki
Starring	Aoi Morikawa Rena Matsui Kanako Momota
Cinematography	Tomokazu Shiratori
Edited by	Shigeru Nishiyama
Music by	Keiichi Oku
Production company	Toei Animation
Distributed by	Toei Company
Release dates	November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03) (TIFF) November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	¥245,957,520

Looking for Magical Doremi (魔女見習いをさがして,Majo Minarai o Sagashite;lit. "Looking for Witch Apprentices") is a 2020 Japanesedrama andcoming-of-ageanimated film produced byToei Animation for the 20th anniversary of themagical girl anime seriesOjamajo Doremi (known internationally asMagical Doremi),^[1] which aired from 1999 to 2005. The film is directed byHaruka Kamatani [jp] andJunichi Sato. The events of the film are set in modern-day Japan and starAoi Morikawa,Rena Matsui, andKanako Momota in the roles of three women of different backgrounds who grew up watchingOjamajo Doremi. The film was first screened at the 33rdTokyo International Film Festival on November 3 before being released to the general public on November 13, 2020.

Planning for the film began in September 2016, with the project formally announced in March 2019. Aiming for an adult female audience outside ofOjamajo Doremi fans, Toei Animation focused on the various common struggles Japanese women face in their daily lives, with each main character representing a particular generation. Upon release,Looking for Magical Doremi was praised for its themes of rediscovering the joys of life in adulthood through childhood. The film wonBest Animation Film Award at the 75thMainichi Film Awards.

The film is centered on three women who grew up watchingOjamajo Doremi in their childhood: Sora Nagase, a 22-year-old college student whose parents are pressuring her to become a teacher; Mire Yoshizuki, a 27-year-old career-oriented office worker returning from overseas; and Reika Kawatani, a 20-year-oldfreeter.^[3] Sora is concerned about Yūji Makita, a student with a learning disability at the school she interns at; despite having her dream job, Mire feels disrespected by her managers; and Reika's boyfriend, Seiya Kubo, keeps stealing her savings for college.^[2]: 5 One day, Sora becomes curious when she hears rumors about a Western-style building located inKamakura that served as the basis for the Mahodo, a magic shop featured inOjamajo Doremi.^[4] When she visits, she meets Mire and Reika, who explore the building with her. That evening, the women bond over having watchedOjamajo Doremi when they were younger and the magic bead toys from the show. The women return home, but keep in contact.^[2]: 5

As their daily lives become stressful, Sora invites Mire and Reika to visitAichi Prefecture forGolden Week.^[2]: 6 There, the women go sightseeing inHida-Takayama, the location where the filmOjamajo Doremi: The Secret of the Frog Stone takes place.^[2]: 6 At night, while discussing concerns from their daily lives, Reika confides in them that her father left after her parents divorced when she was in high school, with her mother dying two years later.^[2]: 6 On the third day of their trip, Mire suggests Reika make a wish on her magic bead to reunite with her father.^[2]: 7 The three are led to a hospital trying to retrieve her bead after she drops it. There, Reika sees her father with a new family while he pretends he does not know her.^[2]: 7 Mire chides Reika for not being assertive, but this causes Reika to become angry and return toOnomichi alone.^[2]: 7 That night, Mire stays at Sora's house and reflects on her actions after watching episode 19 ofOjamajo Doremi Sharp, where Doremi and Hazuki get into a fight.^[2]: 6 She then personally goes to Onomichi to apologize and manages to find Reika's apartment through theokonomiyaki shop that she works at.^[2]: 7 Upon finding Reika, Mire saves her from Seiya when he extorts her for money, with Reika finally breaking up with him. The two restore their friendship as Reika reveals that her magic bead was given to her by her father.^[2]: 7 Mire invites her to move in to help her pursue her studies.

Tired of being treated poorly at her job, Mire decides to quit and later learns that her co-worker, Hayato Yabe, has feelings for her.^[2]: 9 Meanwhile, Yūji is enrolled into aspecial education school, and Sora helps him successfully, gaining motivation to study for her teaching exams. By summer, the three women go to Nara and Kyoto, where two episodes ofOjamajo Doremi Dokkān! take place. While on the train, the women befriend Ryuichi Omiya, a college student. After noticing he has a keyholder of Onpu, they discover he is also a fan ofOjamajo Doremi and he comes along their trip as their guide.^[2]: 8 Sora falls in love with Omiya and confesses to him during their final day in Kyoto, but he rejects her. Despite this, at night, the three women realize the importance of moving forward, which they have understood since reconnecting withOjamajo Doremi. Together, the three make a wish upon their magic beads as if to cast Magical Stage, concluding that they have magic in themselves.

Three months after their trip, Sora, Mire, and Reika rent the building in Kamakura to open it under the name Café MAHODO as the culmination of all their dreams combined. They see a silhouette running in the halls in the process, and after giving chase, they find Doremi, Hazuki, Aiko, Onpu, Momoko, and Pop.

• Aoi Morikawa as Sora Nagase (長瀬ソラ), a 22-year-old college student from Aichi Prefecture in her fourth year who watched the original broadcast ofOjamajo Doremi Dokkān! as a child.^{[2]: 15 [5]}
• Rena Matsui as Mire Yoshizuki (吉月ミレ), a 27-year-old career-oriented office worker from Tokyo who grew up overseas and first watchedOjamajo Doremi on DVD.^{[2]: 19 [5]}
• Kanako Momota as Reika Kawatani (川谷レイカ), a 20-year-oldfreeter from Hiroshima who watched re-runs ofOjamajo Doremi;^[5] while she was in high school, her father left her family after her parents' divorce and her mother died two years later.^[3][2]: 23
• Shohei Miura as Ryuichi Omiya (大宮竜一), a fourth-year college student who meets the three women during their road trip and is a fan ofOjamajo Doremi,^[6] particularly Onpu.^[7] Miura described Omiya as a "pure" boy with a "slightly clumsy" side.^[8]
• Akira Ishida as Hayato Yabe (矢部隼人), Mire's co-worker who is a year her junior and in love with her.^{[2]: 30–31 [6]} He has worked with her for two years.^{[2]: 30–31} Ishida described Yabe as a "cute" and "puppyish" character who chases after Mire and portrayed him as someone who is "doing his best to live in the real world" while trying to protect her.^[8]
• Kenta Hamano as Seiya Kubo (久保聖也), Reika's freeloading boyfriend who dreams of being a professional musician and steals Reika's college funds to playpachinko.^{[2]: 30–31 [3][6]} Hamano was surprised upon learning about Seiya's character, but he described him as not being a bad person initially and has a charm that makes it difficult for Reika to push him away.^[8]
• Chiemi Chiba as Doremi Harukaze (春風どれみ), a character fromOjamajo Doremi;^[9] Chiba also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in the park^{[2]: 30–31}
• Tomoko Akiya as Hazuki Fujiwara (藤原はづき), a character fromOjamajo Doremi;^[9] Akiya also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in Hida-Takayama^{[2]: 30–31}
• Yuki Matsuoka as Aiko Seno (妹尾あいこ), a character fromOjamajo Doremi;^[9] Matsuoka also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in Hida-Takayama^{[2]: 30–31}
• Rumi Shishido as Onpu Segawa (瀬川おんぷ), a character fromOjamajo Doremi;^[9] Shishido also makes a cameo as one of Reika's customers^{[2]: 30–31}
• Nami Miyahara as Momoko Asuka (飛鳥ももこ), a character fromOjamajo Doremi;^[9] Miyahara also makes a cameo as a boy in Hida-Takayama^{[2]: 30–31}
• Sawa Ishige as Pop Harukaze (春風ぽっぷ), a character fromOjamajo Doremi;^[9] Ishige also makes a cameo as one of the sisters in the park^{[2]: 30–31}
• Hyosei as Yūji Makita (牧田祐司), a student at a special education school where Sora interns at; Hyosei provided the voice to Tetsuya Kotake inOjamajo Doremi^{[2]: 30–31}
• Nobuaki Kanemitsu [ja] as Miyao (宮尾課長,Miyao-kachō), the section manager of Mire's department; Kanemitsu provided the voice to Oyajide inOjamajo Doremi^{[2]: 30–31}
• Mayumi Shintani as the owner of theokonomiyaki shop^{[2]: 30–31}
• Jun'ichi Sugawara as Tetsuji Tamaki (玉木哲司), Reika's father; Sugawara provided the voice to Kotaro's grandfather inOjamajo Doremi^{[2]: 30–31}
• Yuka Tokumitsu [ja] as Tamaki's wife; Tokumitsu provided the voice to Dodo inOjamajo Doremi^{[2]: 30–31}
• Haruka Shiraishi as Tamaki's daughter^{[2]: 30–31}
• Atsugiri Jason as Ezekiel (エゼキエル), Mire's business partner.^[10]
• K Dub Shine as a representative, Mire's business partner.^[10]

Chiemi Chiba,Tomoko Akiya,Yuki Matsuoka,Rumi Shishido,Nami Miyahara, andSawa Ishige reprise their roles and also cameo in several minor roles throughout the film. Other voice actors who had recurring roles inOjamajo Doremi, includingHyosei,Ai Nagano,Megumi Takamura [ja],Nobuaki Kanemitsu [ja],Yuka Tokumitsu [ja],Kenji Nomura,Nanaho Katsuragi [ja],Kyousei Tsukui,Chihiro Sakurai [ja],Kinoko Yamada [ja], andYūta Mochizuki also make voice cameos.^{[2]: 30–31}

The film project was first announced atAnimeJapan 2019 on March 23, 2019 to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary.^[11] On October 29, 2019, the production team revealed at the 32ndTokyo International Film Festival that the film would be titledLooking for Magical Doremi and its story details, as well as announcing that staff members who worked onOjamajo Doremi would be returning for the project, including directorJunichi Sato, scriptwriterTakashi Yamada [jp] (credited under the pseudonym Midori Kuriyama),^[2]: 134 character designerYoshihiko Umakoshi, and producer Hiromi Seki.Pretty Cure writerHaruka Kamatani [jp] was also announced as a co-director of the film.^[12]

Sato and Seki began planning for the film project around September 2016.^[2]: 129 Sato was initially going to have the film centered on Doremi and the other main characters of the original anime as adults, with a "miracle" happening through a time paradox.^[13] After pitching the idea to Umakoshi, Umakoshi suggested focusing on a wider age appeal; he voiced concerns that since Doremi and her classmates were the same age, this would alienate viewers who would not relate to the characters due to not being in the same age range.^[13] Similarly, Yamada, who also wrote theOjamajo Doremi 16light novel series, elaborated that an earlier idea for the film would be about a 20-year-old Doremi trying to dig up a time capsule she and her friends buried during their elementary school graduation ceremony, only to find that it is missing, starting a search of what happened on the day it disappeared.^[2]: 134 He stated that while the story would have appealed to fans ofOjamajo Doremi, it would not have appealed to a general audience.^[2]: 134 Seki then researched concerns that from women in their 20s would have about their daily lives in order to find common ground.^{[2]: 129 [13]} After agreeing to focus on a general audience instead of onlyOjamajo Doremi fans, the staff created Sora, Mire, and Reika as the main characters with varying ages to show their generational differences.^{[2]: 129, 134 [13]} Approximately 100 women and men participated in the survey and the results were given to Yamada.^[2]: 129

Yamada stated that Sora, Mire, and Reika were not based on anyone, and that each character borrowed traits from the main characters ofOjamajo Doremi: Sora wore glasses like Hazuki and had Doremi's "teacher" personality; Mire had Onpu's outspoken personality and was also a returnee like Momoko; and Reika had Aiko's responsible personality, Hana's face, and a tendency to fall in love with terrible men like Doremi.^[2]: 134 In comparison toOjamajo Doremi's child-friendly setting,Looking for Magical Doremi contained eight scenes where the characters are drinking alcohol at a bar instead of coffee at a café.^[13] Seki noted that the setting felt natural as the characters were adults, especially Mire, who is often stressed with her job.^[13] Seki also came up with the idea that Mire's apartment is messy.^[13]

ForOjamajo Doremi, instead of using "light and cute" backgrounds that were expected for children's television shows, Sato opted to use "heavier tones" of color to create a more "mature taste" that would "bring more depth to the world."^[14]Looking for Magical Doremi kept the same art scheme of not being too dark or too light.^[14] The art team also tried to keep balance between "picturesque" backgrounds and realism, but becauseLooking for Magical Doremi is set in the real world and in a separate setting fromOjamajo Doremi, the film leaned more on realism.^[14] In addition, Sato revealed that the dandelion motif present inOjamajo Doremi andLooking for Magical Doremi was a nod toYume no Crayon Oukoku, which Sato, Kuriyama, and Seki had worked on prior toOjamajo Doremi, as the show had ended with a piece of fluff flying in the sky.^[13]

Voice work for the film concluded in September 2020.^[15] The original six voice actresses ofOjamajo Doremi attended the final day of recording to record their lines for the final scene after Morikawa, Matsui, and Momota recorded their lines.^[15] During that time,Nami Miyahara coachedRena Matsui with her English lines, as her character, Mire, was described to be from overseas.^[15] On October 1, 2020, a promotional event was held at Marunouchi Toei announcing that production of the film had concluded.^[16]

Rena Matsui (left, 2018) andKanako Momota (right, 2012) starred in the film as Mire Yoshizuki and Reika Kawatani, respectively

In February 2020, Toei announced that the starring cast consisted ofAoi Morikawa as Sora Nagase,Rena Matsui as Mire Yoshizuki, andMomoiro Clover Z memberKanako Momota as Reika Kawatani.^[5] Additional cast members were announced in March 2020, consisting ofShohei Miura as Ryuichi Omiya,Akira Ishida as Hayato Yabe, andKenta Hamano as Seiya Kubo, who play three male characters involved with the main characters' lives.^[6]

For the starring cast, the production staff decided to choose actors and actresses who had grown up watchingOjamajo Doremi.^[17] Morikawa caught the attention of the staff after posting about the film project's announcement on social media.^[17] Hiromi Seki had personally sent a letter to Morikawa after seeing her acting in the live-action television drama adaptation ofKakafukaka and envisioned Sora to be like the character she portrayed.^[2]: 15 Likewise, Miura, who had also watchedOjamajo Doremi when he was young, mentioned the film's announcement on social media and his radio show, after which he later heard he had received an offer.^[8][18] He stated that, like his character Ryuichi Omiya, Onpu was his favorite character from the series,^[18] which Seki confirmed was coincidental.^[2]: 139

As Morikawa had no voice acting experience prior, Sato and Kamatani provided her with examples and techniques on how to convey emotions through her voice.^{[2]: 16 [19]: 33} Likewise, Matsui visited one of Akira Ishida's recording sessions to observe how to voice act.^[4]: 4 Momota, on the other hand, had voice acting experience but stated that she still faced difficulties, as it was the first time she had recorded lines in a group setting.^[4]: 2

In addition to the film cast,Chiemi Chiba,Tomoko Akiya,Yuki Matsuoka,Rumi Shishido,Nami Miyahara, andSawa Ishige reprise their roles as Doremi Harukaze, Hazuki Fujiwara, Aiko Seno, Onpu Segawa, Momoko Asuka, and Pop Harukaze from theOjamajo Doremi anime series. The voice actresses also cameo in several minor roles throughout the film.^{[2]: 30–31} Other voice actors who had recurring roles inOjamajo Doremi, includingHyosei,Ai Nagano,Megumi Takamura [ja],Nobuaki Kanemitsu [ja],Yuka Tokumitsu [ja],Kenji Nomura,Nanaho Katsuragi [ja],Kyousei Tsukui,Chihiro Sakurai [ja],Kinoko Yamada [ja], andYūta Mochizuki also make cameos.^{[2]: 30–31} Media personalityAtsugiri Jason and rapperK Dub Shine make a cameo as Mire's business partners.^[10]

The original soundtrack was produced byKeiichi Oku and was released on December 23, 2020 under the nameLooking for Magical Doremi: Music Collection (映画『魔女見習いをさがして』ミュージック・コレクション). It charted at #86 on theOricon Weekly Albums Chart on its first week of release.^[20] The film's opening theme song is "Ojamajo Carnival!! (Majo Minarai o Sagashite Version)" by MAHODO (Chiemi Chiba,Tomoko Akiya,Yuki Matsuoka,Rumi Shishido andNami Miyahara), featuring a new arrangement.^[21] Seki had requested Keiichi Oku to re-arrange "Ojamajo Carnival!!" with a new melody that would be fitting for a drama.^[2]: 139 The ending theme is a cover of "Owaranai Monogatari (Majo Minarai o Sagashite ver.)" by Rumi Shishido performing as Onpu Segawa.^[22][23] All tracks are arranged by Keiichi Oku.

Looking for Magical Doremi was originally scheduled for release on May 15, 2020, but in March 2020, it was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic to Q4 2020.^[24][25] It was then screened at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3, 2020,^[1] later releasing nationwide in Japan on November 13, 2020.^[26]Looking for Magical Doremi opened at #4 and grossed a cumulative total of¥74,061,680 on its opening weekend.^[27] By its fourth weekend, it grossed a cumulative total of¥245,957,520.^[28]

To promote the film,Looking for Magical Doremi collaborated with various fashion and character brands, such as The Kiss,^[29]Ichiban Kuji,^[30]Sanrio,^[31] and Earth Music & Ecology.^[32] Advance tickets for the film were sold withKit Kats with promotional packaging beginning on September 18, 2020.^[33] In accordance with the film's themes,Looking for Magical Doremi was also used to promote the Database on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, a government job database aimed at Japanese women.^[34] The theatrical film poster forLooking for Magical Doremi also appeared in episode 16 ofHealin' Good Pretty Cure, anothermagical girl series by Toei Animation.^[35]

The film was screened in the United Kingdom as part of Scotland Loves Anime Festival in 2021.^[36]

Richard Eisenbeis fromAnime News Network reviewed the film favorably, stating that the film presents a relatable message and doesn't rely on background knowledge ofOjamajo Doremi.^[3] Writing forCinema Today, Hibiki Kurei gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, describing the film as a depiction of "otaku friendship" aimed at adults and praising it for touching upon the harshness of daily life.^[37] Kei Onodera fromReal Sound praised the film for its strong character development and analysis on the loss of childhood ideals after reaching adulthood, commenting that the inclusion of Haruka Kamatani was a positive choice in developing a film appealing to women younger than the original audience ofOjamajo Doremi.^[38]Natalie's editorial department listed reviews from celebrities includingRio Uchida,Yudai Chiba,Emi Oomatsu [ja],Kemio [ja], manga artist Tsuzui, andMeru Nukumi, who all expressed nostalgia forOjamajo Doremi and stated that, like the main characters of the film, they were able to remember the importance of the "magic" in their lives.^[39]Looking for Magical Doremi won theBest Animation Film Award at the 75thMainichi Film Awards.^[40][41][42] When the film was broadcast onNHK on December 31, 2021, it earned a 0.7% rating.^[43]

• Official website(in Japanese)

• 2020 films
• Ojamajo Doremi series
• 2020 anime films
• 2020s coming-of-age drama films
• 2020s drama road movies
• Animated films based on animated series
• Japanese coming-of-age drama films
• 2020s Japanese-language films
• Japanese magical girl films
• Japanese drama road movies
• Toei Animation films
• Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments
• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• CS1 uses Japanese-language script (ja)
• Articles containing Japanese-language text
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from December 2020
• Pages using infobox Chinese/Japanese with unknown parameters
• Template film date with 2 release dates
• Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images
• Articles with hAudio microformats
• Album articles lacking alt text for covers
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia
• Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja)
• Good articles